Now, more than ever, game preservation is becoming increasingly important, and that's not just because of the fact that we don't seem to own our games anymore. I've always looked after my physical games, but I see so many discs that have been scratched beyond repair, cracked carts, or games that have just given up the ghost entirely and stopped working (RIP my Perfect Dark cartridge).
Dolphin is doing fantastic things for game preservation and giving future generations access to the games of yesteryear. It's keeping the projects that devs have worked tirelessly on for consoles that are no longer in production, stories that still remain classics that need to be experienced by future gamers.
As of today, there are currently 97.8% of games that are 'playable' or better, showing only minor problems when it comes to the graphics or audio. According to Overclock3D, the emulator now has 69% of Wii games running perfectly on it, which is a massive achievement. A quick look at the game compatibility list on the Dolphin emulator website shows that 28.8% of the available games are in a playable state, and only 1.8% of games start and then crash. That 1.8% seems to just be 1080 Snowboarding, and I think we can make do without that for a while.
I'll always love physical consoles more than emulators; it's why I'm so keen on the M64 and what ModRetro are doing for the N64 scene. But until we get a new version of the GameCube and the Wii that can upscale games and produce better results with our favourite titles, Dolphin is undoubtedly one of the best ways to play GCN and Wii games in 2026. It's our go-to for our favourite retro handhelds and pushes the framerates of games beyond anything that we could have dreamed of back in the day. I'll always love playing Star Fox Adventures on my CRT, but Dolphin makes it look so good that I can't resist emulating it too!
